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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27210580">Six minutes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissNight0wl/pseuds/MissNight0wl'>MissNight0wl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>POV Jacob Ellis, POV Rowan Khanna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:56:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,493</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27210580</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissNight0wl/pseuds/MissNight0wl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How Jacob and Rakepick tricked the world into believing that Rowan Khanna is dead.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Spoilers for the sixth year of HPHM.<br/>These events will be part of my series "Secrets and riddles" (in some form). However, it'll take me a while to get to that point of the story. And since I wrote "Six minutes" a while ago already and posted it on my Tumblr, I decided that I might as well publish it here.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Autumn, 1989</b>
</p><p>The three of them were standing around a small table, looking at the necklace lying there. It was a beautiful grand piece of jewellery, shining in the warm light.</p><p>“That’s it? Is it done?” asked Jacob finally. They looked at each other.</p><p>“We should test it,” said Rakepick.</p><p>“Brilliant.” Ever since he arrived, Snape seemed to just wait for a moment when he can leave. It was actually a usual impression Jacob was getting whenever they met after his expulsion – or before that – but this time, he was particularly silent, too.</p><p>Not thinking much about what he’s doing, Jacob reached for the necklace, but Rakepick had grabbed his wrist before he touched it. “No,” she said calmly but firmly. “It should be me.”</p><p>“You’ll be casting the spell. You should be casting the spell now.” He wouldn’t tell it by looking at her, but he liked to think that she’s worried. “It’s okay, Patricia. It will work. And one curse more or less doesn’t change much for me. So, it should be me. Unless…?” He glanced at Potions Master, who slightly raised his eyebrow.</p><p>“Oh no, go ahead.”</p><p>He wasn’t expecting any different answer. Not waiting for further confirmation, Jacob took the necklace. The only thing he noticed, though, was its cold weight. He tossed it slightly, yet nothing unexpected happened.</p><p>“Did it work? I don’t feel anything.”</p><p>“You’re not supposed to feel anything.” Snape watched him closely, suddenly looking almost alert.</p><p>Jacob put the necklace back at the table. He placed his hand on his neck to check the pulse. Nothing. At the same moment, he realised he’s not breathing. He panicked, which made him feel way worse because his heart didn’t start beating faster as it normally would. His thoughts immediately went to Duncan.</p><p>“Jacob?” There was a sign of unease in Rakepick’s voice.</p><p>“Yeah?” He looked at his companions more consciously. “How much time do I have?”</p><p>“About six minutes, probably less by now,” replied Snape. “You should move to the centre of the room. It’d be harder to break the curse and save your cracked skull at the same time.”</p><p>“Right…”</p><p>Jacob did as he was told, making sure there’s plenty of space around so he wouldn’t hit anything while falling. Snape stayed in the same spot, but Patricia shifted as well, taking her position.</p><p>“Are you ready?” she asked, with her wand already in her hand.</p><p>“Hell no. Let’s do it.”</p><p>“Good.” It seemed that she’s about to start when she hesitated. “Jacob?” She sounded off. He could only imagine what bothers her the most in that situation: his decisions, working with Severus again, taking the risk that she didn’t have to take. “In case it goes wrong… You’re my best apprentice.”</p><p>“Apprentice? I thought I’d be promoted to a partner by now,” he said with fake resentment, ignoring Snape’s contemptuous expression - and the fear that everything could indeed go terribly wrong.</p><p>She smiled weakly and took a deep breath. He tried to focus on the golden tip of her wand when the green light beamed out of it, speeding in his direction.</p><p><em>What is dead cannot die</em>.</p><p>There was a moment of dark emptiness. It could’ve lasted forever or just a split second. Then, Jacob revived inhaling the air sharply, which almost choked him. The light seemed to be brighter and the sounds louder, including his racing heart. He desperately held onto the closest thing he could grasp which happened to be Rakepick’s arm.</p><p>“It’s all right, I’m here. Just try to breathe.” She could appear surprisingly calming if she wanted to.</p><p>“Here, drink this.” Snape handed him a small vial from the other side. “It’d be a shame if you had a heart attack now.”</p><p>It took him a while to force his body to move intentionally, but as soon as he downed the potion, things started getting back to normal. “So, did it work?”</p><p>When they finally made sure that Jacob is stable, they moved him to the living room, Snape left, and Rakepick disappeared for some time in the study.</p><p>“How you’re feeling?” she asked when she came back with an armful of books and scrolls.</p><p>“Well, I still have a headache. And there might be something with my heart, it’s like I have two heartbeats…”</p><p>“What? And you said nothing?” She tossed her supplies on the table. “What do you even mean: two heartbeats–”</p><p>He smiled seeing her concern. “I’m kidding. I’m fine, Patricia, you can stop asking.”</p><p>She looked at him sternly. “It’s not a joke.”</p><p>“Don’t yell at me, I just died.” He knew that he should be serious, that it’s too important. Yet, a part of him wanted to cut off from what had happened: earlier that day, over last years. Simply pretend that it could be normal. “I’m sorry…”</p><p>Her face softened ever so slightly. “And how’s your cursed mark?”</p><p>To his surprise, it was one thing he didn’t think about. “You tell me,” he replied, pulling down a neckline of his shirt.</p><p>She came closer to survey the revealed part of his chest and carefully slide her fingers on a dark mark leading to the neck. “Does it hurt?”</p><p>“Right now? No.”</p><p>“It doesn’t seem to be changed…” she noted pensively. “We should keep an eye on it anyway.”</p><p>“More than usual, you mean?”</p><p>“Just tell me if something is wrong,” she ignored his remark and sat to her books. “I don’t care about your pride.”</p><p>He sighed and leant back on the couch, putting his hands behind his head when he felt a little paw grabbing his trousers. Sickleworth climbed nimbly up and sat on his lap. The Niffler made a quiet pleased sound as the wizard started petting him.</p><p>“Patricia?” Jacob spoke a bit absent. “If we managed to cheat death–”</p><p>“I wouldn’t really call it that way,” she interrupted him.</p><p>“Well, yeah, but… Do you think…” He straightened up, letting Sickleworth run up his arm. “Do you think that maybe Duncan–”</p><p>Rakepick raised her eyes and pushed her work aside. “He’s dead, Jacob.”</p><p>“But–”</p><p>“I’ve met him. It was one of the first things I’ve checked back at Hogwarts.”</p><p>Jacob felt as something grew in his throat. “He’s a ghost?” She didn’t need to answer. He covered his face for a moment, processing the news. “Does he blame me?” he muttered.</p><p>“He does,” she confirmed more gently. “But not for his death.”</p><p>He swallowed hard and sank again. He didn’t feel like crying - he didn’t cry in ages - but he suddenly became very tired.</p><p>
  <b>Winter, 1989</b>
</p><p>They both were sitting in front of Rowan who was visibly nervous. Rakepick apparently decided that it’d be better for everyone to let Jacob lead that conversation. And he was doing his best to stay calm.</p><p>“As soon as you touch the necklace, your heart will stop beating. You’ll stop breathing,” he continued his explanation. “It will be scary, possibly the scariest thing you’ve experienced so far. But that’s all right to be afraid. I was afraid too.”</p><p>Rowan appeared more worried and paler with each of his words. However, the last part caught her attention. “You’ve done it…?”</p><p>“Yeah, I have. And I’m still here,” he smiled comfortingly. “We’ll have six minutes to break the curse.”</p><p>“That’s not a lot of time,” the girl noticed.</p><p>“That’s enough,” he replied firmly.</p><p>But Rowan was still full of doubts. “And what if <em>I</em> won’t make it in time?” Her voice got more quiet and shaky. She glanced insecurely at the redhead witch. “Then Ben… then he’ll die, won’t he?”</p><p>Jacob leant slightly forward so she’d focus on him. “Listen to me, Rowan. You don’t have to worry about that. We won’t let that happen.” She didn’t look convinced. “I’ll figure something out by then, and I promise you that I’ll be there to help you if anything goes wrong.”</p><p>“No, you won’t,” Rakepick spoke for the first time in a while.</p><p>“You have my word, Rowan.”</p><p>It was hard to say how reassuring it actually was because now Rowan seemed to be startled by her former professor’s reaction. Even Jacob was surprised to see that Patricia was clearly trying to not snap right then and there. She rose from the table to leave the room.</p><p>“We’ll talk later, okay?” said Jacob hastily before he followed Rakepick upstairs.</p><p>“I don’t need you there,” the woman spat as soon as he closed the door to the study.</p><p>“You don’t know that. It’ll be safer–”</p><p>She was resting against the desk with her arms crossed, and she glanced up to the ceiling. “No. I don’t want you there.”</p><p>“Why? Patricia, stop playing a hero and just accept that you might need help–”</p><p>“I’m playing a hero?!” She paused and bit her lips, irritated. “Jacob, when will you learn to not make promises you can’t keep?”</p><p>He stepped closer, trying to keep his cool. “She’s a scared kid. If there’s anything I can do to help her, I’m gonna do this, whether you like it or not.”</p><p>“She’s not a kid!” she yelled, frowning. “She’s the same age you were when we met!”</p><p>“That’s different!” he replied louder and more strongly than he intended.</p><p>They continued their stare-down for a moment before Rakepick approached him, shortening the distance between them even more.</p><p>“Do you realise that we might not be alone in the Forest?” Her voice was steady again. “That you <em>can’t</em> be seen there? I’m already taking the risk of being compromised–“</p><p>“Since when you’re worried about the risks?” he taunted her. “Besides, that’s why I should come. I can focus entirely on concealing our presence.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Look… I know you don’t want it to fail. Neither do I. I know that if we both fail, we have nothing. But we also have better chances together. You have to trust people sometimes, right?”</p><p>She left again without a word.</p><p>
  <b>Winter, early 1990</b>
</p><p>Jacob started getting impatient when he finally heard the group drawing nearer. His cat Patronus was circling around his legs, more to keep him company as there was no sign of Dementors yet. He wasn’t expecting to get so excited about the sound of his sister’s voice and actually seeing her. They weren’t so close in years. He wanted to call her name and cancel the whole plan, take her back home and hope for the best. But nothing ever could be that easy for them.</p><p>His body stiffened when he noticed that they found the necklace. He was about to react when he felt unnatural cold, still distant but discernible. They felt it too. He watched dark figures surrounding the teens, knowing that he can’t do anything. He was relieved when Helena’s silver hare charged at the Dementors, but it didn’t last long.</p><p>“She’ll arrive soon,” he told himself, clenching fingers on his wand.</p><p>Not long after that, the lioness indeed entered the scene and saved the day. From that point, everything was happening instantly: shouting, duelling, threats. At last, Rowan appeared as well, seemingly out of nowhere. If Jacob didn’t know about the cue, he’d be taken by surprise too, in overall chaos. And then, the screaming… He shut his eyes and turned around to lean against the tree he was hiding behind.</p><p>“We warned you that you owed ‘R’ a friend’s life. Consider that debt collected.”</p><p>When he looked again, he saw Patricia standing already in front of him with an emotionless expression. He also realised that his feline guardian disappeared in the meantime. None of them spoke, even though they didn’t need to worry about being heard.</p><p>“No…”</p><p>“Rowan’s not breathing.”</p><p>“No, please… It can’t be happening…”</p><p>“She’s gone.”</p><p>“Please, Rowan, don’t leave me like that…”</p><p>“Do you feel that? Are the Dementors coming back?”</p><p>“We have to go.”</p><p>“We can’t leave her…”</p><p>“Helen, Rakepick can still be here.”</p><p>“No, no…”</p><p>“Helena…”</p><p>“GET OFF!” Helena’s shriek echoed through the Forest, followed by sobbing.</p><p>Jacob gritted his teeth. He instinctively made a move as if he wanted to go to her, but Patricia held his arm to stop him.</p><p>“I told you that you shouldn’t have come,” she reminded him, and strangely enough, it was more sympathetic than scolding.</p><p>The voices in another part of the Cove became duller, it was hard to understand words. After a while, the three teenagers took off, shocked and scared, struggling to stay alert. When they were far enough, Jacob expanded his protective charm on the rest of the area. His companion immediately ran towards the girl’s body, but he sent his Patronus into the Forest first in hope that it’d clear the way to the castle. Patricia briefly raised her head after hearing his incantation, but she didn’t comment, preoccupied with tending to Rowan. In the next moment, Jacob was on his knees next to them. He took off the girl’s glasses so they wouldn’t hurt her eyes in case they shattered more. He started worrying when she wasn’t waking up, but Rakepick remained calm and focused, so he trusted they’re doing well. Finally, their victim revived.</p><p>“It’s all right, Rowan. You’re safe. Easy now,” Patricia said softly.</p><p>Jacob hurried to support Rowan’s back before she collapsed again. “It hurts, I know.” With the free hand, he went for the prepared potion in his bag. “Drink this, it will help.”</p><p>He exchanged looks with Rakepick. It seemed like there were no intruders nearby, it seemed like they made it. But they both knew that there’s still a long way ahead of them before they’d be successful. One of the very next steps involved transporting a shaken, weakened seventeen-years-old back to their shelter. They also needed a fake body.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Isolation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A continuation of the events from Rowan's point of view.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Winter, 1990</b>
</p><p>Rowan didn’t remember much about what happened right after she was revived. She wasn’t sure how they got to Rakepick’s house – or what she assumed was Rakepick’s house. She passed out shortly after arrival, and according to Jacob, she was asleep for the whole day.</p><p>“It’s good, you need to rest,” he told her. “The thing is that Rakepick and I have to leave now, only for a while. Can you manage on your own?”</p><p>Rowan knew that he’s asking rather for formality sake, so she simply nodded. After that, she was instructed where she can find necessary supplies like food and medicine.</p><p>“You can use the study if you want,” Madam Rakepick added when they both were ready to go. “Just keep your wand by your side, Miss Khanna”.</p><p>Rowan stiffened a bit hearing that remark. “I thought it’s safe here.”</p><p>“It is.”</p><p>“But it’s always better to be cautious,” Jacob hurried to explain. “You’ll be fine as long as you’re inside. And you won’t be alone for long, hm?”</p><p>The empty house appeared overwhelming at first, but Rowan quickly got distracted by pain. It could’ve been from the curse, from the physical impact she experienced in the Forest, or maybe from the times they had practised her timing with the Banishing Charm. Most likely, it was due to all of that combined. Potions and ointment were helpful just enough to let her focus on anything else. She wouldn’t dare to snoop around, she wasn’t even tempted to. But since there were plenty of books available and she had permission to use them, time was passing pretty fast.</p><p>It had been three days when she finally heard the front door opening. Madam Rakepick appeared at the doorstep of the living room where Rowan was spending most of her days so far.</p><p>“How you’re doing, Miss Khanna?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Rowan replied quickly.</p><p>The Curse-Breaker glanced at a small pile of tomes next to the girl, yet she didn’t comment. She got to her business in other parts of the house, leaving Rowan to herself. Then she left for a night. The similar situation repeated a couple of times in the next week. Sometimes, Madam Rakepick would ask her more questions or suggest her reading particular titles out of nowhere. Other times, she said nothing at all and just watched her carefully. No matter what, it always made Rowan a bit uneasy. Until one day, the front door opened once more, yet it was someone else who came in.</p><p>“Hi,” said Jacob blithely, popping into the room with Sickleworth on his shoulder. “How you’re feeling?”</p><p>Rowan got surprisingly happy to see him again. She could definitely use some change in the company. Besides, she actually grew to like him during that short period they knew each other, even though they had a quite hard start. A lot of things had rocked the girl’s world at that time. For one, she had to process the fact that Madam Rakepick is not evil - or at least that there’s the bigger plan behind her actions – and that she’s not going to actually kill her. Rowan was often worried about that even before the events of the Buried Vault, so overcoming it <em>after everything</em> was a huge deal. And then, she met Jacob – her best friend’s infamous brother, whose second disappearance was maybe as devastating as the first one. Should Rowan be angry with him because of her loyalty to Helena? But then, all of that was supposed to protect her, and not only her… There was also the fact that Jacob was older, more powerful, and appeared to be able to easily kill her as well if he wanted to. It required some kind of respect. Rowan had been conflicted. As if it wasn’t bad enough that she already had a difficult time around new people, even without those additional factors! Now, it seemed rather silly, and she still felt awkward about the moment when she called him “Mr Ellis”.</p><p>“Just call me Jacob, please,” he said then, partially amused and embarrassed. The young witch could swear that Rakepick smirked at that too.</p><p>Unlike his associate, Jacob didn’t leave shortly after his arrival, and he hung about for the next day. In fact, it turned out that he’s staying for longer. Rowan thought at first that it could be strange to have him around all the time. However, he was doing fine at being busy with his things, and usually, he wasn’t paying much attention to her. Not that she felt ignored. It was simply… natural. Sometimes, she was peeking at him curiously when she entered the study for new books, trying to figure out what he’s working on, but it was hard to tell if he’s noticing her at all. Unless he was smoking at the moment, that is. Then he would stand up almost immediately to open the window.</p><p>“Don’t tell Rakepick I smoke in here, okay?” he tended to say with a coy smile.</p><p>One day, he came downstairs and sat in the armchair, putting his legs over an arm rail – almost like his sister used to do in the Ravenclaw Common Room.</p><p>“What is it?” he asked suddenly, making Rowan realise that she’s staring at him. She shook her head, startled. “You look like you want to ask me about something, so…?”</p><p>“No, it’s nothing. It’s just… I’m sometimes noticing how you and Helena are similar.”</p><p>“Is that so? O.W.L.s were so hard on her, huh?”</p><p>Rowan didn’t understand right away, but then it occurred to her that when he smiled, you could see small wrinkles on his face. That he had bags under his eyes and single grey streaks among his dark hair. He looked tired and ill, even if he was making up for it with his attitude. It must’ve been caused by the Vault. Come to think about it, it was odd that Helena had never really mentioned his physical state. On the other hand, perhaps it’s understandable for a sister to focus more on his behaviour. Everything was always happening so fast, after all.</p><p>“Oh no, not like that! That’s not what I–”</p><p>“I know, that’s all right.” He smirked and spaced out for a moment. “I’ve got something for you. Wait here.”</p><p>He jumped out of his spot and ran back upstairs. When he returned, he was holding a purple notebook, marking some pages with his finger.</p><p>“When Helena was ten, I bought her a diary for Christmas,” he started explaining.</p><p>“I know, she was writing in it quite a lot.” Rowan recognised it as soon as she saw it. It wasn’t the exact same diary – the one Helena owned was more worn-out, and it had stickers and drawings on the cover, but they could’ve been indistinguishable when they were new.</p><p>“Yeah…” Jacob seemed to be pleased to hear that. “Though she probably didn’t know that it’s a two-way notebook. I never had a chance to explain it to her because, y’know…” He paused and cleared his throat. “Anyway, that’s the second notebook from the pair. I left it here long ago and nearly forgot about it. I normally wouldn’t read it, but… It turned out she was writing letters to me, so I guess it’s not that bad. Right?” Rowan got the impression that it was an excuse more for himself than her. He sighed. “She stopped writing months ago, but I’ve noticed recently that new entries are appearing.”</p><p>He passed to her the open notebook, and she took it uncertainly. On its pages, she saw familiar handwriting, the same she knew so well from the notes exchanged during classes.</p><p>
  <em>
    <a href="https://missnight0wl.tumblr.com/post/611330441561194496/helena-used-to-write-a-diary-in-the-form-of">My dearest Rowan…</a>
  </em>
</p><p>She glanced over the first sentences and put her hand over her mouth to stop a sob. She closed her eyes to calm down. When she looked again, Jacob was watching her with sympathy.</p><p>“It’s your choice if you read it,” he said gently. “I didn’t look at your parts, but I imagine it’ll be a rather bittersweet experience, so consider yourself warned.”</p><p>“You said it’s a two-way notebook,” she tried to control shaking of her voice. “Does it mean I could use it to contact Helena?”</p><p>“Probably. But you know you can’t. I’m sorry, Rowan.”</p><p>She shook her head and smiled weakly. “No, don’t be. Thank you for showing me that.”</p><p>It seemed like Jacob wasn’t sure if he made the right decision. “Hey, would you help me with something, too?” he asked more cheerfully. “You know Ancient Runes, don’t you?”</p><p>“Yes, of course.”</p><p>“You think you could translate something for me?”</p><p>“I can try,” Rowan replied, pressing the notebook to her chest.</p><p>“Brilliant. I’ll bring you the texts then. Take your time with them.”</p><p>She wanted to get to work right away once she got materials, but the purple notebook was still in the corner of her eye. Eventually, she gave in and started reading about what was happening at Hogwarts. She laughed and cried, learning about how her friends were dealing with everything. She was proud of them for being strong, and she wanted more than anything to hug them in the weaker moments. She felt as if Helena was sitting next to her, telling her all of that in-person – except she was so far…</p><p>Rowan couldn’t bring herself back to translating that day. Though after the sleepless night, she was glad to have something to focus on. She wondered if Jacob gave her that task right now purposefully.</p><p>“How it’s going?” he asked when he came to check her progress.</p><p>“Pretty well, actually. I had some difficulties at one point, but it went easier when I overcame it. I think I’m about half-way through.”</p><p>“Already?” Jacob flipped through some pages of her work. “I’m impressed. Good job, Rowan.” He smiled at her, but then he frowned unexpectedly. “Can I see your glasses?”</p><p>She blinked, surprised. “Um, sure.”</p><p>He carefully took them from her and examined them against the light. “They’re not mended properly. That’s why you squint,” he declared. “Did you do it yourself?”</p><p>Rowan felt that she’s blushing. “Yeah, I did…”</p><p>“It’s not your fault, glasses are tricky. They’re not as complex as tissue, but still,” he reassured her. He took his wand out to cast the spell. “Here, it should be better now.”</p><p>Rowan put her glasses back, indeed noticing a difference in her vision. “Thanks.”</p><p>“Why you didn’t say anything earlier?”</p><p>She shrugged, ignoring the warmth of her cheeks. Truth be told, she didn’t know why. She didn’t want to bother anyone, and she assumed any discomfort she’s experiencing might be related to her other injuries.</p><p>“I think I’m gonna cook something,” stated Jacob casually, changing the subject. “Are you hungry?”</p><p>He left the room and apparently encountered Madam Rakepick, who happened to be at the house.</p><p>“You could’ve at least checked her glasses,” Rowan heard him saying. He didn’t talk loudly, and the girl didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help it.</p><p>“What’s wrong with her glasses?” Rakepick replied with a question.</p><p>“They had a flaw from mending. You should take care of things like that.”</p><p>“How was I supposed to know? She didn’t complain to me.”</p><p>“Maybe because she’s afraid of you.”</p><p>“Why would she be afraid of me?”</p><p>Jacob made a weird sound which could’ve been a cough or an attempt at hiding a snigger. Rowan didn’t catch the Curse-Breaker’s response, but she made a note to herself to never reveal how sensitive her hearing is. Still, that short exchange made her think again. Because a lot of things in her life recently were confusing, yet the relationship between those two had to be at the top of the list.</p><p>Madam Rakepick continued to come back every now and then for short periods. She was spending her time mostly with Jacob alone, but sporadically, Rowan had an opportunity to be around them, too. To her surprise, they usually were getting along really well. Whether it was the case of them used to working together or just knowing more than they were telling, they quickly understood each other, and it seemed they’re making a good team. Rowan even caught them joking around a couple of times. Everything was fine - until they started fighting. Even though they never did it in front of her, she always knew about it because of yelling, which was the most unsettling part, although she rarely could distinguish the exact words.</p><p>As far as Rowan remembered, she had never heard Madam Rakepick shouting. Even when she raised her voice occasionally, she was still steady and cold. It definitely fitted her ominous aura. Supposedly, her behaviour was different in the Buried Vault, but Rowan didn’t witness that, and she never wanted to even imagine the whole situation. As for Jacob, though… Well, if Rowan didn’t know that he’s the only other person inside, she’d doubt he could yell at all. His appearance could intimidate at first, sure, but the longer she knew him, the more certain she was that he’s one of the gentlest people she had met. She kept in mind that his approach towards her might be related to Helena. However, she could also easily see him using that natural appeal to endear both teachers and classmates during his school period. Ironically, that’s probably the most effective type of troublemaker. Overall, getting into such heated quarrels seemed unusual for both of them, so the girl never knew if their subjects were this serious or it’s the matter of two characters clashing.</p><p>After one of those argues, Jacob stormed into the kitchen where Rowan was sitting at the table. He lent over the counter, hanging his head down in frustration until the door slam.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it,” he muttered. Rowan looked at him questioningly. “Me and Rakepick, that is,” he clarified, straightening up. “I imagine it’s not very comforting when the only two people you’re supposed to depend on are at each other’s throats.”</p><p>She didn’t know what to answer, so she kept quiet. Jacob in the meantime took out his pack of cigarettes and lit up. He took a puff and chuckled softly.</p><p>“Patricia can be difficult to work with,” he continued talking. “She’d probably say the same about me. But it’s nothing that should concern you. In fact, things go pretty well.” He seemed genuine, as always.</p><p>They sat in silence for a while before Rowan tried to take up the conversation. “It had to be hard for you to trust her…”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“I mean, after she left you in the Vault and all.” She felt nervous talking about it, but it was bothering her for so long. “Or did you know that she had no choice or something?”</p><p>He didn’t reply right away and bit his lips. “Yeah, something like that…”</p><p>He suddenly appeared more absent but not upset with her, so she decided to push further. “Jacob? Can I ask you something?”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“Last year, when there was the Portrait Curse at Hogwarts, our friend’s sister got trapped. She was getting weaker with each day, losing the sense of reality. How it’s possible…” She forced herself to raise her head and look at him, hoping to see his reaction. “How did you even survive for so long?”</p><p>There was no reaction, he only stared at the floor. That’s what Rowan was afraid of. She kept noticing little things that weren’t adding up. Like from time to time, Jacob would mention not seeing his sister in years. She also couldn’t believe that Jacob would reproach anyone for anything, even if it was about hesitating before setting him free – and that’s what he was doing according to Helena’s stories.</p><p>“You weren’t trapped at all, were you?” she asked quietly.</p><p>Their eyes finally met. “No, I wasn’t.”</p><p>Rowan instinctively reached to her wand, which she always carried with her, just like Madam Rakepick told her to. Yet Jacob remained calm, resting against the counter and smoking casually.</p><p>“But you <em>are</em> Helena’s brother? And she has only <em>one</em> brother?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>Her heart started beating faster. “Then who did she save from the portrait?”</p><p>“Let’s not talk about it.” He took a deep breath. “Look, Rowan, I’m sorry, I really am. I just can’t tell you everything, at least not now. Helena is safe, and I’ll do anything to keep it that way as long as I’m alive.” He put out the cigarette and sat in front of her. “I want to protect you, too, but it means keeping information from you. I know it’s hard, and frustrating, and scary. But it has to be that way. Do you understand?”</p><p>Rowan truly wanted to believe him. But at the same time, it hit her how little she knew about what she had gotten into. What if she was on the wrong side? What if she got manipulated? But it couldn’t be… She spent the whole night thinking about different possibilities. She ended up browsing the purple notebook once again. Could it be fake, forged to influence her emotionally? No… The new entries were still appearing and some of them were too detailed to not be written by Helena. No, neither Jacob nor Madam Rakepick was lying to her. But even when holding to that faith, it was terrifying to realise that there is a lot of unknown danger out there. Rowan believed that her decision would keep her friends safe. However, how much truth was in that? And if she somehow could warn them to be careful, how would she warn about something she didn’t understand? She closed the notebook, resisting the urge to write something in it.</p><p>The next morning when she went down to the kitchen, she found there both Jacob and Madam Rakepick drinking coffee. It actually was the first time she saw them in a situation like that, and it was almost bizarre. If she had any company in the morning, it was Jacob alone. For a moment, she was taken aback, not sure if she can interrupt them. Nevertheless, she wanted to talk to them anyway, so she got the courage up to speak up.</p><p>“I want to help,” she announced. “I don’t have to know everything, but I can still do something. I did translations for Jacob, I can do more. I can do analysis, I can organise things–”</p><p>“I hope you paid attention to the books I recommended you, Miss Khanna,” Rakepick cut in.</p><p>Rowan hesitated, confused by the sudden remark. “Yes, of course.”</p><p>“Good. It’ll be helpful in your research.”</p><p>“I’ll be doing research?”</p><p>“Yes, you just said that you want to help.”</p><p>The girl immediately got excited and lightened up. “On the Cursed Vaults? Or on R? Or–”</p><p>“How about you start with breakfast?” the redhead interrupted her again, raising her eyebrow. She took a sip of her beverage, temporarily closing the case. Jacob only grinned at them while placing an additional plate.</p><p>Rowan took her seat at the table, even though she wasn’t hungry at all. If everyone fights, she’s going to fight, too, in the best way she can. And should the worst happen – whatever it would be – she’s going to be prepared.</p>
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